Might As Well Be Dreaming
by marymin
Summary: For kids who have never been wanted, moving in with the Tateyamas is quite the shock. Seto centric. No pairings except for obviously Kenjirou and Ayaka being married. Also, does Ayaka really not have a character tag yet?


Seto sat crosslegged on the floor of the room he shared with his two siblings, absently making a tower out of plastic dinosaurs. They weren't exactly made for stacking, so there was a trick to it, to hooking each dinosaur's clawed feet under the previous one's belly. Kano always did it almost without looking, piling the toys high until they teetered, and Kido had huffed and declared it a silly game to begin with.

He wondered where they were. Kido was always disappearing to somewhere or other; in fact, she could be right here in this very room for all he knew. Kano, on the other had, had probably gone to pick Ayano up from school. The grownups hated when he did that, and he'd been subject to more than one lecture about how the route crossed several busy roads and was way too dangerous for such a young kid on their own. If Kano _really _couldn't wait to see Ayano until she got home from school, surely he could ask Kenjirou and Ayaka to accompany him.

Kano always just raised his eyebrows and looked away during those lectures, and his nonchalance made Seto anxious. Kido didn't seem to care, but he felt like Kano was purposely pushing the boundaries of what was allowed in this household, to see if they really intended to keep them after all. He wished Kano wouldn't test them like that. It was nice here, even if it was awkward being around grownups he'd only just met who wanted them to call them 'Mom' and 'Dad'. There was always enough food and even Ayano, who had every right to be mean to them in his mind, had yet to bully any of them to tears.

Thinking about it made Seto's brow furrow in worry, and he glanced towards the window, as if he'd be able to see Kano and Ayano coming down the street towards them. But all he could see was the sunlight filtering through the window panes, surprisingly harsh in his intensity. It made his head throb, and he squinted, shielding his eyes.

Everything seemed bright in this house. The lights didn't flicker or buzz like back at the orphanage, and when he lay on his stomach in the main room with some catch up academic work the grownups kept assigning them, he always became distracted by the tv playing nature documentaries, the picture steady and clear and without the strange discolored patches of the boxy tv they'd had before.

It was nice, but it still made his head hurt, and Seto pressed one of the plastic dinosaurs to his cheek, the cool plastic a stark contrast to his too-hot skin. He wished one of the others would come home soon.

...

_"What have I told you about playing near the river?"_

_The faceless adult hadn't told him anything- had told one of the other boys- but the kids were all the same to them, and Seto couldn't find the words to speak. The cold river water dripped from the ends of his hair and down the back of his shirt between his thin shoulder blades, and he only dimly realized that the hot liquid in his eyes and on his cheeks probably had not come from the river too._

_It didn't seem to matter. Roundly scolded for tracking mud onto the cold tile floors and sent to bed even though it was barely evening, Seto curled up in the middle of the floor, staring into the distance. He knew he shouldn't get his blankets wet or muddy, even though the warm summer air did nothing to stop his shivering. The only part of him that was warm was his eyes, which burned hot and painful in the dimming light. The sensation was unfamiliar to him._

_The room was so quiet, and he didn't think he'd ever get used to being alone in here, even though he'd lived here as long as he'd remember. Seto sneezed, his head rocking forward from the force of it, and it felt as though his shivering only increased._

_..._

The sound of plates clinking against the table roused him from his reverie, and Seto realized with surprise that it was growing darker. His tower of dinosaurs teetered in the half-light, only about a fourth as tall as he knew Kano could go, but all his motivation had disappeared, so he left it like that and wandered towards the kitchen, towards sound and light and Ayaka's laughter floating down the hallway.

"That's perfect," she was saying as Seto edged into the doorway, and Kido, standing on a step stool and wrapped in an apron meant for someone twice as tall as her, glowed with fierce pride. Seto suddenly felt like he'd interrupted, but when he backed up to return to the hallway, his elbow bumped the wall and both Ayaka and Kido turned towards him in surprise.

"Did you want to help make dinner?" Ayaka asked, and it was amazing how not even a trace of annoyance showed in her face over his sudden appearance. Kido was glowering at him from her step stool, and Seto felt that if he said yes she would chop _him _up into tiny pieces with that chopping knife she held. This was her time with Ayaka, and Seto was dead meat if he intruded on that.

"Uhh, no thanks," he said, fumbling for the words he needed. He saw Kido relax a little. "I just came in to get water, actually."

He hadn't been intending to get a drink, but it suddenly seemed like a great idea, and he ducked his head, crossing to the fridge. He was still a bit too anxious to handle any of the glasses in the house, out of fear of breaking one, but Kenjirou and Ayaka always kept a shelf in the fridge for bottled drinks, including water. It was still somewhat amazing to him to have access to food or drink whenever he liked, and he half expected Ayaka to stop him as he retrieved one of the water bottles. But from behind him the sound of vegetables chopping resumed, and he knew they were no longer paying much attention to him at all. Seto felt his shoulders sag in relief.

He twisted off the top and was surprised to find how cold the water felt, how surprising it was in his itchy throat. He hadn't even realized how thirsty he was in the first place.

Despite the lowering light, a quick check to the clock confirmed it was about time for Ayano to be arriving back from school, presumably with Kano in tow. Seto retreated to the main room, curling up on the sofa with his water bottle. From here, he'd be able to hear the door, and he'd know when everyone came home. Maybe it would be Kano and Ayano, or maybe Kenjirou would make it home first, with another stack of papers under one arm and a mouthful of science words that Seto never understood anyway.

His eyelids felt surprisingly heavy, and he recapped the water bottle in case he fell asleep, going to set it on the little table next to the couch. The water bottle missed and plummeted to the ground, but as the cap was on, so Seto couldn't bring himself to be that upset through the foggy feeling in his brain. He squinted at the water bottle. He'd pick it up any second now, probably.

Instead, he went to sleep.

...

_Cold hands on his forehead, checking his temperature with rough, impatient movements. Seto stirred, even just the slight motion sending throbbing pain through his forehead. The last thing he remembered was shivering alone in the cold of his room, but now he felt as though he were on fire. An adult's voice made a dissatisfied 'tsk' noise, and the cold hands withdrew._

**The fever hasn't come down yet.**

_Seto flinched, the voice too-loud and echoing in his head. He couldn't seem to open his eyes. Still, he wished whoever it was would stop talking to themselves._

**This one's always been trouble.**

_His eyes still felt hot and sore beneath his eyelids, and he raised his fists to rub at them, arms feeling heavy and weak to the point where all he could manage was weakly nudging his knuckles against his eye sockets._

_Without saying a word to him, the adult left the room, turning off the light. He could hear their shoes in the hallway until the noise faded away._

_..._

The front door slammed open and Seto started awake, groggy and confused. His eyes had a familiar stuck-together feeling, although he was able to force them open and squint in the hallway light. Despite drinking almost half the bottle of water, his throat felt scratchy and dry, and bolts of pain shot through his skull. With a dull feeling of surprise, he realized he might be sick.

He'd only felt like this once before, but he remembered it. If he slept long enough, he should feel better, right? He let his eyes fall shut again, sinking back into the darkness.

Or at least, he planned too, until someone seized him around the waist and lifted him off the couch, yelling at the top of his lungs, "SNEAK ATTACK!"

Seto squeaked in surprise, flinging his arms around the grownup's neck and hiding his face against his collar. Stubble scratched at his temple and even if he didn't know it was Kenjirou who had captured him, that would have filled him in.

Somewhat disappointed with his reaction, Kenjirou bounced him up and down, laughing as his feet carried the both of them towards the warmth of the kitchen. "That's what happens when you let your guard down! Sleeping on the couch in the middle of the day, honestly."

It wasn't the middle of the day anymore, and Seto hadn't meant to fall asleep, but his tongue felt so thick in his mouth that he couldn't manage to say either of those things. The light from the kitchen grew and stabbed through Seto's eyelids, making his skull twinge, and he buried his face further in Kenjirou's neck to escape from it. The footsteps paused.

"You're burning up! Ayaka, get the thermometer!" The second statement was called towards the kitchen, and Seto cringed, wishing he'd be a little bit quieter. Kenjirou seemed to have gotten everyone's attention though, because in moments Seto heard several people join them in the hall. Kenjirou peeled him away from his chest, despite his weak protests, and Ayaka felt his forehead with a cool hand.

"He definitely has a fever..."

"Is he gonna be okay?"

That was Ayano's voice, so she must have come home earlier, while he was sleeping on the couch.

"It's probably just a fever," Kenjirou replied doubtfully, shifting Seto in his arms so he could place a palm against his cheek. "We should get him to bed though. Okay! Ayano, get the first aid kit from under the sink. Shuuya, get me cold water. Tsubomi, one of the towels from the laundry room. Meet me in the kids room in five minutes. Go!"

The sound of running feet on the floorboards filled the hallway for a second, and then the only noise left was Ayaka laughing under her breath.

"Do you really need half those things?"

Seto felt Kenjirou shrug. "Gives them something to do."

"You just like handing out missions," Ayaka replied, faint amusement in her voice. In response, Kenjirou only laughed, and then the two of them were bundling Seto into bed, tucking the blankets around him.

It was overwhelming to be the target of such care and compassion, and Seto was grateful when, several minutes later, his exhaustion reclaimed him and his consciousness slipped away.

...

_Waking up was almost as bad as being sick had been. Seto had been putting it off for what felt like hours, but in the end his eyes flicked open, and he blinked up at one of the interchangeable employees of the orphanage._

_"Oh, good," she said, withdrawing the thermometer and shaking it to clear the numbers. "You're awake."_

**...Can finally stop wasting time on this kid...**

_Seto stared at her, disoriented and confused. He knew where he was, but how long had it been? Her mouth hadn't moved just now, when she spoke._

**...Thought he was a goner anyway...**

_Lips pursed as she wiped off the thermometer, there was no way for her to have said the words Seto had so clearly heard. Maybe he was still delirious. _

_"After you get changed, throw your clothes out," she said, turning to go. "Can't have any of the others getting sick."_

**...Would almost be better that way...**

_The orphanage employee left, shutting the door behind her, and Seto stared at the bottom of the empty bunk bed above him, trying not to think too hard about the strange not-words he'd overheard._

_..._

The room was anything but quiet when Seto woke up. The sounds of breathing and soft snoring served as background noise for someone reading quietly under their breath. Kido and Kano were fast asleep in their own beds, which wasn't unusual on it's own. But Ayaka sat in the corner, Ayano curled up and fast asleep in her lap, and Ayaka was reading out loud from a book propped on her knee. Kenjirou also sat on the floor, his back leaning against the side of Seto's bed. Seto could almost read his book over his shoulder, except for the fact that he didn't recognize any of the words. But that was alright.

Seto's head still felt a bit achy, as though an intense pressure had finally been let off. He cleared his throat.

Ayaka looked up and dropped her book, a delighted smile crossing her face. The sound of her book hitting the floor woke Kido, who sat up with a confused expression, and alerted Kenjirou as well. He turned, going immediately to feel at Seto's forehead.

"You feeling better?" he asked, and at the same time Seto heard in his head, **Thank god. **

Seto gaped up at him in astonishment, glancing around the room. Both Kenjirou and Ayaka had dropped everything to watch over him, and Ayano too- didn't they have anything better to do?

**I was so worried,** he heard Ayaka say, although she didn't say it out loud.

When his gaze landed on Kido, she gestured to her own eyes, and he realized his must be red right now. He squeezed them shut, grinding the heels of his palms into his eye sockets, and when he opened them again the whisper of everyone's thoughts was silent.

"Are you okay?" Ayaka asked, and he realized there were tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

"Yeah," he replied, voice hoarse from emotion and disuse. "I'm okay."


End file.
